This is a truly wonderful invention: the Hipster PDA – a portable, ecologically-friendly data-organisation device. I love it.

1. get a bunch of 3″x5″ file cards
2. clip them together with a binder clip
3. there is no step 3

Of course, I’ve been using an A6 notebook for quite some time, and this system works well too. The added advantage is that if you find yourself waiting for a long time in a restaurant, and you get your notebook out and start writing, the food usually appears almost immediately.
My favourite thing about the notebook system is transferring useful lists from the old notebook to the new notebook. Lists are lovely things that make me happy.
via The Guardian newsblog

So, Microsoft are clearly in league with battery manufacturers. You think I’m not going to tell you why? You’re wrong.
I have a wireless optical mouse, which takes two AA batteries. A couple of weeks back, a message popped up on screen saying “Your batteries are nearly dead. Replace them.” or words to that effect.
So I went out and bought some batteries, and put them somewhere close to hand.
A little while later, the message popped up again. I was about to replace the batteries, but then figured that I might as well try to squeeze every last drop available out of them, so I wouldn’t replace them until the red light actually went out.
It’s still on.
Most annoying of all, is that periodically this low-battery warning message pops up, and there doesn’t seem to be a way to turn it off. They clearly don’t want to accept the possibility that I don’t trust their frankly rather poor battery level detection apparatus.
I think that I’m going to consider writing a strongly worded letter, but naturally not actually bother doing it, because I’m too lazy.

Richard Stallman has an article in yesterday’s Guardian about software patents in Europe. If you use a computer, I encourage you to be aware of the goings-on in the European Parliament right now. Read it.